Graham Heathcote quits Stafford Rangers

Heathcote, who took over in January following the sacking of Andy Mutch, left Marston Road following a meeting with club officials last night.

Rangers are also without a chairman following Rod Woodward's resignation in the wake of their relegation to the fourth tier of non-league football.

A club statement said: "A meeting was held between the board and Graham Heathcote to discuss the way forward.

"We are disappointed to tell everyone that we could not reach a satisfactory conclusion and Graham will not be continuing in his role as manager.

"Graham did not feel able to commit to the club within the playing budget that the club could afford.

"Both parties were always aware that finances would be tight and our first responsibility is to ensure the continuation of the football club.

"Graham accepted the difficulty he would encounter in recruiting players out of the local area and the additional costs that this would incur which made the budget in his opinion not viable.

"We would like to express our thanks and gratitude to him for the work he has done in the short period he has been at the club.

"This was not the news that we expected or wanted to bring you.

"Our efforts will now concentrate on putting a new structure in place at the earliest opportunity and we will keep you all informed."

Heathcote became Rangers' third manager of the season following Greg Clowes and Mutch but could not halt the club's slide to relegation from the Evo-Stik Premier Division.

They have now dropped three divisions in six years and are struggling to meet the running costs of Marston Road due to dwindling attendances.

Heathcote had been critical of the club in recent weeks, claiming they risked missing out on players after failing to meet their own deadline for presenting him with a playing budget.

Rangers have held a series of meetings with fans' groups in recent weeks in a bid to find a solution to their financial problems.